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I ♥ Mac & Cheese opens 1st franchise unit

April 20, 2018

I ♥ Mac & Cheese opened its first franchised location this week in Yukon, Oklahoma. It is the first store to open under the chain's five-unit deal with Genevieve "Genny" Prieto.

"We are thrilled Genny has chosen to expand the I ♥ Mac & Cheese presence in Oklahoma City," Stephen Giordanella, CEO and chairman, said in a company press release. "We know these new restaurants will satisfy a growing consumer demand in the local communities. Genny has solid business experience and has proven to be a successful franchisee with her time at Domino's."

The first I ♥ Mac & Cheese location opened in 2016, in Fort Lauderdale. Additional South Florida corporate-owned locations include Parkland, Pembroke Pines and Coral Springs. Boca Raton and Jupiter, Florida, will open in May 2018, and franchises should open this year in Bayside, Queens and Long Island, New York, and in Davie, Florida.

"The I ♥ Mac & Cheese has achieved differentiation with customers and in the restaurant industry within a short period of time," said President and Chief Development Officer Dan Collins. "Who doesn't love mac and cheese?"

I ♥ Mac & Cheese requires an investment between $175,000 and $271,000 and range in size from 1,200 to 2,000 square feet. Shopping malls, sports venues, areas close to colleges and universities, and high-traffic pedestrian areas are ideal locations, according to the release.